The smoke still curled above the plaza when the monsters began to fade. One by one, the creatures dissolved into wisps of black light that vanished into the air. The silence that followed was heavier than the battle itself.
Raiders who had been moments from death stood frozen, their weapons half raised, staring at Aiden as if he had just become something they couldn't define.
He took a slow breath, trying to steady himself. The world felt different again, sharper, louder, alive in a way that pressed against his mind. His pulse thrummed like a second heartbeat.
"Is everyone alright?" His voice came out steadier than he expected.
No one answered. They only looked at him.
Lira was the first to move. She sheathed her blades, her expression tight. "They were ready to tear us apart. Then you looked at them and they knelt."
Aiden shook his head. "I didn't do anything."
"You did something." She pointed toward the cracked air where the rift had been. The distortion was still there, a faint shimmer hanging above the ground. "Whatever that was, it stopped the breach."
Before he could respond, armed patrols in silver armor flooded into the plaza. Their leader, a tall woman with crimson eyes and the insignia of the Ares Defense Guild on her chest, barked orders. "Contain the perimeter. No one leaves."
Her gaze fell on Aiden. "You...step forward."
Lira frowned. "He saved everyone here. You should be thanking him."
The commander ignored her. "We'll thank him after we know what he is."
Aiden hesitated but stepped forward. The woman studied him closely, then motioned for a device to be brought over. A glass sphere filled with light hovered beside her hand. "Identification scan. Hold still."
When the sphere touched Aiden's chest, it flared bright white and cracked. The commander's eyes widened. "The scanner overloaded."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Lira muttered under her breath, "That's not going to help your case."
The commander recovered quickly. "You're coming with us."
Aiden clenched his jaw. "Where?"
"To the Guild Hall. The Masters will decide how to handle you."
He wanted to argue, but Lira gave him a look that said, Don't. After what had just happened, resisting would only make things worse.
The guards escorted him through the city streets, their weapons at the ready though none dared get too close. People stopped to stare as they passed. A few whispered, pointing at him. "That's the one from the plaza." "He made the beasts kneel." "Is he even human?"
Aiden kept his eyes forward.
The Guild Hall loomed ahead, a fortress of glass and steel crowned with floating emblems of the five ruling guilds. Inside, the air hummed with mana. Walls lined with banners depicted past victories and fallen heroes.
He was led into a circular chamber at the top floor. Five figures waited there, seated around a glowing table. Each wore the mark of a Guild Master. Their combined presence pressed down on the air like a physical weight.
The commander saluted. "Masters, the man responsible for the plaza incident."
The one at the center, an older man with silver hair and cold eyes, studied Aiden. "Your name."
"Aiden Cross."
"You were recorded as a new registrant earlier today. No combat record, yet your evaluation returned impossible data." He leaned forward slightly. "And now, every beast from a spontaneous rift bowed to you before vanishing. Explain."
Aiden hesitated. "I don't know how to explain it. It just happened."
The Guild Masters exchanged glances. One of them, a woman wrapped in a cloak of light, spoke softly. "He carries something ancient. I can feel it."
Another scoffed. "Or something dangerous. Power like that never comes without a cost."
The silver-haired Master raised a hand for silence. "Aiden Cross. Until we understand what you are, you will remain under Guild observation. You're not a prisoner, but you will not leave Ares without permission."
Aiden nodded slowly. "Fine."
Lira, who had slipped into the chamber unnoticed, stepped forward. "If he's staying, I'll vouch for him."
The Masters turned their gaze toward her.
"He saved my life in the Outer Field," she said firmly. "And again in the plaza. Whatever power he has, he's not our enemy."
The silver-haired man regarded her for a long moment, then inclined his head. "Very well. You'll be responsible for monitoring him."
The meeting ended with no further argument.
Outside, Aiden leaned against the wall, exhaling a long breath. "I guess that went better than it could have."
Lira smiled faintly. "You're lucky they like results more than explanations."
He looked out over the city through the wide glass window. The sky above Ares was returning to its strange violet calm, but he could feel the undercurrent beneath it, the tension, the weight of something vast pressing down from beyond the clouds.
The system window flickered before his eyes again.
> New Quest: The Watchers of Ares
Objective: Discover the origin of your Dominion.
Warning: Observation protocols initiated. Multiple entities are now aware of you.
He frowned. "Observation protocols?"
Lira noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Just… the feeling that I've started something I can't stop."
That night, Aiden stayed in the quarters the Guild assigned to him, a high room overlooking the city. The hum of mana from the barrier outside was a steady background pulse.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his reflection in the window. His eyes glowed faintly, not gold or blue but something between.
He opened his hand. A thin thread of dark light coiled above his palm, shifting and pulsing like a living thing. When he focused on it, he heard a faint echo. A voice, distant but familiar.
"You opened the first door," it whispered. "Now the others will come."
He closed his fist, and the light vanished.
Somewhere deep in the city, alarms began to sound again, low, urgent tones that rolled through the night like thunder.
Lira's voice crackled through the room's communicator. "Aiden. There's another breach. This one's not near the barrier, it's inside the city."
He grabbed his sword. "On my way."
As he stepped into the hall, the system whispered one last message.
> System update: Dominion expanding. Influence radius increased.
Aiden didn't know what that meant yet, but as the ground trembled beneath his feet, he had the feeling he was about to find out.